[The Athletic] K-Gun fueling Rockets’ offensive evolution

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/68...ser_shared_article_copylink&smid=url-share-ta

After 10 games with their new-look roster, the Rockets aren’t just exceeding expectations. They’ve turned into one of the most potent offenses in the NBA, despite VanVleet’s absence. And their success has been fueled by an emerging one-two punch that’s jelled quicker than anyone could’ve imagined, considering the circumstances.

Per Cleaning The Glass, the Rockets (7-3) are currently No. 2 in points per 100 possessions (124.2) this season, trailing only the Denver Nuggets (124.9). Houston is also No. 10 in offensive rating on half-court possessions after finishing 22nd last season).

When Şengün and Durant are on the floor together, the Rockets are outscoring teams by a whopping 12.5 points per 100 possessions, per Cleaning The Glass.

Although Houston’s historic offensive rebounding prowess and Amen Thompson’s impact on both ends of the court have played a big part in the team’s success, Şengün and Durant — and their ability to work together — have been the driving force behind the Rockets making this experiment work with such an unorthodox approach.

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Since his arrival in Houston, Durant has made it a priority to regularly communicate with Şengün about what’s working for them and what needs improvement. He’s also pushed Şengün to take the reins of the offense and not feel obligated to defer to Durant. The early results indicate both players have found a healthy balance to keep defenses guessing.

Through 10 games, Durant has a 25.3 percent usage rate, which would be the lowest of his career. Conversely, Şengün’s usage rate is at 28.7 percent, the highest of his career.

With the added responsibility, Şengün is putting up the best numbers of his career, averaging a career-high 22.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and a career-high 7.2 assists with 49/42/73 shooting splits. The only other player in the NBA averaging 20-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and seven-plus assists is Denver’s Nikola Jokić.

“It means a lot of that he really trusts me. He always tells me to get the ball, and he’ll go with my decision,” Şengün said. “When he came here, he didn’t come in and say, ‘This is my team. The offense runs through me.’ He always tells me I have to be great for us to reach our goal. Hearing that from a guy like him means everything.”

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If there’s been one area where the Rockets have struggled the most early in the season, it’s been the untimely turnovers as they work through some of their spacing and timing issues. Despite being second in offensive rating, the Rockets are 27th in turnover percentage, according to Cleaning The Glass. They’ve given at least 20 points off turnovers in five of their 10 games this season, which is usually a formula for disaster.

Houston has made up for some of those lost possessions by dominating the offensive glass, but they understand how important it is to get that under control before the start of the playoffs. The turnover issues reached a new low in the Rockets’ 121-110 loss to the San Antonio Spurs last Friday, a game where Houston gave up 33 points off 24 turnovers. Udoka was so furious with his team’s performance, he said the Spurs “punked” the Rockets that night and that they were the “tougher team.”

As easy as it has looked at times, the Rockets aren’t going to overcome their shortage of traditional ballhandlers without added attention to detail on their spacing and being strong with the ball when teams increase their pressure. Without VanVleet, the Rockets understand this is the area teams will try to attack most. It’ll be an ongoing process for them to find the right answers to exploit that pressure when they can.

“Teams are trying to swarm and take the ball out of me and Alpi’s hands a lot. They’re trying to make the other three guys beat them on the court,” Durant said after the Spurs loss. “They get away from their defensive schemes, come jump the ball, come get their hands on some passes. I’ve got to be more patient and make stronger passes, make better reads.”

also, get you somebody who looks at you the way KD looks as Sengün:

Spoiler

 

sounds like a formation the oilers used to run.

 

i was close:

the K-Gun is a no-huddle offense famously used by the Buffalo Bills in the 1990s, characterized by the quarterback taking snaps from a shotgun formation ("the gun"). It was a fast-paced, high-octane system designed to confuse defenses and was adapted from the "run and shoot" offense, with key features including multiple receivers, a single running back who also caught passes, and the ability for the quarterback to call audibles at the line of scrimmage.